borrowing an idea

My daughter Anne, always a joy and an inspiration, has long offered her readers healing grace by boldly stating and thereby focusing on the joys of her life, and encouraging us to do the same.

and so, my first and long overdue Joy list Monday!
sunny winter days
Sunday lunch with some of my favorite people and pups
seeds arriving in the post

reading great books from our fantastic public library
geraniums blooming under the grow lights in the basement
my sweetheart getting up before 6 and getting my car washed for me
preparing for a four day quilt retreat later this week.

Now, that felt good.

02.02.2020

Sooner or later there comes a stretch of time when there is nothing to say and altogether too much to say. And so silence.

After five months of what feels like holding my breath, I am fighting my way to the surface. Funny, from the depths of my mind an imprinted opening suggests itself: "bless me... it has been 5 months since my last..."
During these months I've been wrestling with "truths". Trying to come to terms with who I am today and what I believe. Working to balance the light and the dark of this age. With the ever more obvious limitations of my lifetime, struggling to choose how to spend my time and energy and not feel guilty for spending so much of it on myself.

What you see in this photo is a corner of a shelf in my studio. A return to my word for 2019  in the company of two amazing gifts from my niece, Sarah. The old mill photo is from her camera. The mini cairn is of 5 stones collected during her battle with cancer as she climbed and hiked her beloved Rockies. The courage, strength of spirit, and creative soul of this beautiful young woman both fills me with pride and with purpose. Her love for me and our correspondences across time a deep joy.

I thank each of you for not being silent in the previous months, as your photos and words have been balm. Blessings on each of you.